


Extinguishing the Fire

by yuma (yuma_writes)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Gen, Missing Scene, Smarm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2013-12-31
Packaged: 2018-10-07 02:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10350810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuma_writes/pseuds/yuma
Summary: Epilogue of "Into the Fire"Spoilers from "Into the Fire" with minor mention of "The Serpent’s Lair"





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Yuma, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Stargatefan.com](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Stargatefan.com). To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [StargateFan Archive Collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StargateFan_Archive_Collection).

Extinguishing the Fire

"Okay, enough's enough!" Jack snapped, pulling the monitor's probes off his chest with a snap. He jumped off the gurney before Doctor Warner could stop him. 

"Colonel O'Neill, we still need to check if the temperature changes did eliminate all of the Go'uald-" 

Jack jabbed an angry finger on Warner's chest. "I said I was me, didn't I? MRI was clear! I'm getting sick and tired of being poked and prodded for the past three days!" O'Neill was turning red. 

The doctor stammered, trying to get a few words in but the colonel's furious face just made him babble a bit before Doctor Fraiser, who was passing through, came to his rescue. 

"Colonel O'Neill?" Fraiser deftly stepped in, taking the charts from Warner's hands. The other doctor gratefully stepped away, mumbling something about checking the lab results as his escape. "What seems to be the problem?" 

" **That's** the problem!" Jack snapped. "There was none!" 

"Excuse me?" Fraiser looked up startled. 

"There was **no** problem! They found nothing! Nada! And yet I'm still here, for the past three days, in this freaking paper dress!" Jack waved his hands angrily at his hospital gown. 

Janet fought the urge to smile. 

"It's not **that** funny, Doc." Jack glared at the petite woman. 

_Oops._ Janet forced her face to become a serious one. "I didn't say it was." 

"Then can I go home?" Jack calmed down a bit. 

Janet checked the charts a bit. "I don't see why not. I'll have the medics get the 

Paperwork for you and- Colonel!" Janet called after Jack, who was scrambling for the door. "Wouldn't you like to...change first?" 

The older man looked down aghast. "Uh...yeah." He sat back down on the gurney. 

This time, Janet did smile. 

* * *

Sam peered into the infirmary and found, to her surprise, that Jack was dressed and all set to go. "Sir? They're letting you out already?" 

The colonel turned to Carter with a grunt. "They've found nothing. I'm not about to stick around here for them to poke more holes in me." He glanced around. "Where's Daniel? I heard Doc let him go day before yesterday." 

Sam nodded. "He was hobbling around in his crutches pacing back and forth from one room to another that Janet finally declared him as a menace and sent him home." 

Jack nodded. He frowned as he recalled the unnerving way he caught Daniel staring at him at times the young scientist didn't know Jack was aware. Since they got back from Hathor's clutches, Jack had this strange feeling that he was being watched, but at first, he had dismissed it as delayed reaction to the pain of the Go'uald larvae's entry. But then he caught Daniel watching him during debriefing with General Hammond. He knew Daniel was still digesting this. Jack recalled how dazed the young man looked during the whole ordeal, how he was there watching Hathor gloat about how Jack would be taken as a host, then used to kill his two friends. It had to have been a lot for the passive scientist to swallow. But the constant wide eyed gaze on the back of his neck was making Jack nervous and also a bit disappointed when he realized that Daniel might be afraid of him. 

"Sir?" Carter's voice interrupted his thoughts. 

"So," Jack brought himself back to the present. "You kids been behaving without me?" 

Sam grinned. "Well, Teal'c's writing up his report with...General Hammond." 

"Oh?" Jack grinned, remembering how stunned he was when he saw General Hammond in combat gear, emerging out of the smothering battle craft with Teal'c. Now that was a report Jack wanted to read. 

"Yeah, I think General Hammond is trying to figure out a way to bring the plane back without wrecking the Stargate room." Sam grinned broadly. "I heard he...volunteered to help move the craft." 

Jack chuckled. "I'll bet." 

Sam laughed softly, recalling how Teal'c had asked her in a puzzled voice about the nature of General Hammond's battle cry when the old man was in the ship with him. When she asked Teal'c to imitate the sound for her because she didn't understand, the Jaafa let out a huge hair raising whoop that Janet heard all the way down the hall in the infirmary. Janet came rushing into the briefing room with two medics on tow. Simmons down at the viewing booth had fell off his chair, startled out of his wits. General Hammond rushed out of his office and when he heard what happened, looked flustered as he went back into his office. 

"I got to tell you what happened, sir-" Carter began when Jack stopped her with a hand. 

"Maybe it can wait." Jack grinned. "I just want to go home and get something to drink and relax before Doc decides I'm much too tempting of a guinea pig to let go." 

"I could drive you back and-" 

Jack shook his head. "And pry you away from that spacecraft thingie?" Jack grinned as he watched Carter flushed. "What kind of CO do you think I am?" 

Sam smiled softly. "A good one." She suddenly came over and embraced him tightly. Startled, Jack brought his arms up and patted her awkwardly on the back. A strange sense of déjà vu came over him on a similar scene back on that stronghold of Hathor's. He remembered rushing forward, grabbing Carter after throwing Hathor down the smoking pool of cryogenic liquid. He remembered shivering non-stop, whether from the cold or from...he didn't know what. 

"I'm glad you're okay...Jack." 

Jack coughed awkwardly. "Thanks, Sam." He backed away from her grasp. Grinning broadly, he patted her on the shoulders soundly. "You did good, Captain." 

"Thank you, sir." 

"I mean it." Jack's voice dropped a bit. "You shouldn't have come back. I was a casualty like Makepeace said, but thank you for coming back anyway." 

Sam looked surprised by the submission but didn't make a big deal of it that would cause the colonel any discomfort. She did smile again though and replied softly like as if she had a secret. 

"Actually, I left my lucky pair of gloves back there, sir." Carter winked. "Had to get them back." 

Jack tilted back his head a bit and laughed out loud. Shaking his head, muttering about wise cracks and Captains, Jack squeezed her shoulder one last time before leaving the infirmary. 

* * *

Jack felt okay as he was driving. In fact, he took the longer route from Cheyenne Mountain to his home. Jack noticed that Ms. Smith from across the street had planted new cornflowers instead of roses and he watched the newlyweds diagonally across from his house paint the porch sky blue. Jack felt fine enough to nod a greeting towards the Wilson's kid as he bicycled past Jack's house. And he felt fine as he walked up the stone walkway and noted that grass was beginning to go over the edges of it. Jack fished out his keys without difficulty and opened the door, strolling right in. When the door slammed shut behind him, then it hit him. 

Jack was cold. 

The slight shivering that Jack had felt before in the infirmary for those three days and then briefly during the drive home, returned in full force. Jack gritted his teeth to stop them from chattering and he wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the chill. 

"You're not cold. You're not cold." Jack muttered to himself. Nevertheless, he went over to the fireplace in the living room and flung open the grate. He tossed in a few pressed logs, lit a match, and stood over the brick portal waiting for the logs to burn. Rubbing his arms up and down, Jack stamped one foot hard on the floor. He could see the fire burning. He could hear the flames snapping greedily at wood. But the heat, the warmth was missing. 

"Need a drink." Jack muttered to himself and shuffled over to the kitchen. Rummaging around the fridge, Jack grunted as he spied the beer bottles in the back. Reaching in, he pulled out three and lined them up at the kitchen counter. Jack opened one up, grabbed it firmly by the bottleneck and tilted it to his lips. 

Jack paused. 

The cold sweat from the bottle was chilling; freezing his fingers around it until it burned like fire scalding the skin. Jack could see the cold vapors escaping the mouth of the beer and Jack could imagine the vapors go down the throat when he drinks, into his body, chilling everything into ice and- 

Jack muttered to himself, slamming down the bottle. It landed on the counter with a loud thump, its contents jumping out of the container and onto the floor. Jack eyed the beer with distaste. He then turned to the drawers and searched through them until he found teabags. Jack quickly got a pot of water boiling, an empty mug waiting to be filled, before Jack stopped to think of what he was doing. 

_"I will enjoy watching you kill your friends before me."_

Liquid smooth voice, tinged with arrogance, echoed in Jack's head. The man shook his head as if he could shake the demons out. Hathor had fingered his cheek before whispering this to him, in front of Daniel and Sam. 

Daniel. 

Jack frowned as he thought of the young scientist. He could still see those blue eyes staring at the back of his neck where Jack knew the scar was from where the Go'uald had entered into. 

Without warning, a searing pain like a hot poker stabbed in the back of the neck and Jack's hand went immediately over it, covering the gauze that was around the small wound. He rubbed at it frantically, knowing that the pain didn't exist any more. 

_Only in my mind_ , Jack scowled at himself. He dropped his hand from his neck, annoyed with his own reaction. 

_I've had my share of battle scars_ , Jack thought as he turned off the stove. He went over to the countertop and poured hot water over the teabag in his mug. The smoke floated up, shielding his eyes and Jack jerked. 

_"I'm sorry." The To'kra whispered once more and Jack saw the condensation covered glass close over him once more like a coffin door closing._

"You must fight it, Tau'ri." 

Jack was. He was. From the moment the monster entered him and its thoughts screaming into his mind, Jack fought it. He screamed back mentally to the beast, keeping it in rein, fighting the urges to obey a voice that was now laughing above him. 

The To'kra was saying something else, but the glass muffled it. Jack felt the compartment he was in move and he felt the cold steam rushing over him so quickly that he didn't even have time to shudder... 

Jack jumped as he felt hot water trickling down to the floor, onto his foot and pants. He glared at the steaming puddle and set down the teapot. He looked at the water, but couldn't bring himself to find a rag. Making a mental note of its location so he wouldn't step on it later on and break his neck, Jack grabbed his mug and went over to the couch. 

Turning up the television set as loud as possible, feet angled close to the blazing fire, Jack settled down to stare blankly on the screen with his hands cradling the hot mug. 

* * *

_"Kill them." Hathor commanded as her eyes glowed with pleasure. "You carry the Go'uald larvae within you now. You serve me."_

Bowing his head, he didn't contradict her. Instead, he extended out his hands and accepted the dagger. 

Hathor purred with pleasure. "Good. Very good." Her voice went hard. "Kill them." 

The blood that spurted out of the female was warm and it stained his armor a bit. With a snarl of distaste, he flung the body away before it could stain his armor further with its tainted Tau'ri blood. Then he turned to the male. 

He heard him speak; in a language that sounded vaguely familiar. But he didn't stop to think about why. He went over with his dagger, eyes glued to a spot above the human's heart, a predatory smirk on his lips. 

With a surprising surge of strength, the human knocked the dagger away. Snarling, he barked to the others to stay back. 

This was his kill. 

Hands out, he grabbed the human by the throat. The Tau'ri's cries were cut off as he tightened his grip. He smiled as he watched the human's blue eyes fill with tears, the mouth moving without sound, the hands feebly trying to free his crushing grip from the neck. He let go a bit, just so he could hear the human beg for mercy. The male Tau'ri cried out a word that he didn't understand so he tightened his grip again. As he felt the tender cords within his grasp go slack, he remembered what the human said. 

"Jack." 

The neck snapped and Daniel Jackson was dead. 

And Hathor laughed. 

"No!" Jack tumbled out of his seat, empty mug falling to the carpeted floor. The colonel sat there, within the glow of the fireplace, gasping as if he had just ran a marathon. 

_"Jack."_

He heard the plea in the young man's voice as if he stood right next to him. Jack rubbed his eyes wearily, feeling like he had aged in the past hour alone. 

_"Jack."_

Jack groaned, sinking back into his seat, shivering. 

_This is stupid. It's over. I'm not a Go'uald. We didn't really wake up in the future. We're all alive. We're all here._

It's over. 

But Jack thought he saw fear in Daniel's eyes. 

"Damn." Jack murmured, feeling very cold again. 

The phone rang, breaking the silence in the house. Jack blearily looked at his phone; half tempted to let it ring away. But it kept ringing as if it knew of Jack's intentions and the sound began to grate Jack's nerves. With a groan, Jack got up and shuffled over to the phone. He picked it up and just waited, too tired to even muster up a greeting for the caller. 

"Yeah..." Jack tilted his head as he recognized the voice. "Who? No...I...wait...glasses? Yeah...that's him...where?" Jack looked at the phone dumbfounded before replying. "Are you sure? Really? What? Shit...no, no...not you...yeah...I guess I can get there in..." Jack checked his watch. "Ah...half an hour, I guess. Will you keep an eye on him? Thanks. See you later." 

The phone clicked as Jack hung it up. He stared at the phone, the conversation reviewing in his mind. Jack shook his head. 

"Unbelievable." Jack muttered. He went over to the fireplace, tossed a bucket of sand over the flames and watched it die down. Jack gave one last shiver before he grabbed his jacket and car keys. 

* * *

It was dark as Jack drove- the midnight skies clear, its stars twinkling above Jack's head. The full moon shone down like a beacon for the colonel as he drove. 

Jack shook his head, eyed his watch and tried to concentrate on getting there. As soon as the town came to view, Jack found himself stepping on the gas rather than releasing it and he sped down familiar streets to the bar he had frequent before. 

_"This is a watering hole?" Teal'c inquired as the three of them entered the loud bar._

Jack shook his head. "Bar, Teal'c. Daniel, grab some of those seats over there, will you? I'll get the drinks." 

Daniel gaped at the dim lighted bar, the pool table and pinball machines that lined up the corner. 

"Daniel?" Jack lightly tapped him on the head. 

The young man blinked. "Um...this is...interesting, Jack. But I thought we were going to get dinner." 

"We are. Now get us a nice table over there, okay?" 

"Um...Jack?" 

The man glanced back at Daniel exasperated. "Yes, Daniel?" 

"This is a bar." 

Jack grinned, pounding Daniel on the back soundly. "Brilliant! You figured that out all by yourself?" 

"Jaack..." 

"Don't Jack me. There's food here! Don't look so freaked, Daniel. You guys should come here more often." Jack steered Daniel towards a dark corner behind the pool table. "Now get over there and wait for me. Joe here got the best wings in town. And after that, we'll play some pool." Jack turned around, waved at the familiar bartender and started towards him when he heard Teal'c inquired to Daniel. 

"Pool? We are going swimming, Daniel Jackson?" 

Jack grinned. This was going to be an interesting night. 

Smiling at the memory, Jack chuckled. Daniel playing billiards was such a sight to see. The anthropologist was talking and trying to make a shot at the same time. Teal'c had kept asking questions and ever the lecturer, Daniel readily tried to answer them all. Jack was amazed how much the scientist actually knew. 

_Knows everything from where the game originated from to how the slang came to be, but when it comes to playing...he sucked._

Jack laughed out loud as he sighted the neon sign for the bar. As he slowed down to the place, trying to find a space to park, Jack's smile faded. 

He wondered if there was ever going to be a chance to do something like that again. 

Jack got out of the jeep, checking around the parking lot and saw a familiar looking car. Swearing under his breath, Jack didn't see the yellow tape twisting on the ground and nearly tripped over it as he reached the bar's entrance. 

The bell above the door chimed his presence when he swung it open. Normally no one would have heard the bell with all the noise from the jukebox, but it was already two and way past closing time so the bell rang out, Jack almost jumped at the sound. He hadn't heard the bell before and it came to him as a shock. 

"Jack." A towering middle-aged man with thinning black hair, in a bartender's apron, looked up with a smile. He wiped his large callused hands with the rag before approaching Jack. He shook hands warmly with the colonel. "Good to see you again, even if its not in the best of reasons." 

"Joe." Jack acknowledged. He looked around the bar approvingly. "Hasn't been changed much. I see you still have that damn dart board." 

"Your friend last time threw that last dart so hard, it went through the board." Joe chuckled, shaking his head as he recalled. "I don't know what they feed you in those military bases around here, but they sure help you pack a punch." 

Jack grinned ruefully. The last time he was here with Teal'c and Daniel, the colonel was trying to teach Teal'c darts. The Jaafa, not quite getting the hang of it, threw the dart so hard, that the board was nailed permanently to the wall. 

"Luckily you had left me your number in case I needed to call you about that board." Joe went on, not looking upset at all about his dartboard. "Otherwise I would have needed to push him out and I didn't really have the heart to." 

"You're a good man, Joe." Jack told the bar owner. It was one of the reasons why Jack liked this place. The man treated his customers like he would house guests, making a point to know a little bit about them. Even though Jack and a few other SGC members, couldn't reveal what they do in the top secret Cheyenne facility, it was nice to come in once and a while and hear Joe call out their names with such familiarity. Jack looked around the bar, not seeing him. "Where is he?" 

Joe silently pointed to the dark corner at the end of the room. All the lights were out, except for the lighted sign advertising for some beer. Jack squinted and vaguely saw a huddled shape, pressed up against the wall in a booth, the head buried under the crook of folded arms. 

It was Daniel. 

Jack swore softly. 

"Damn, I was hoping it was a mistake." Jack muttered. 

"No...I remember you bringing him here with your other friend. Uh...Danny, right?" Joe scrunched up his face as he tried to pull out a name. 

"Yeah, Daniel." Jack sighed. "Although I never expected to see him here by himself." 

Joe shrugged. "Me either, but he's been here two days in a row so far." At Jack's surprised look, Joe continued. "Never thought of him as a drinker, though." 

"He isn't." 

"Well, he didn't have too much drink yesterday." Joe recalled. "Today though." The bar owner shrugged. "And then after he got mugged, he-" 

"What?" Jack tore his eyes away from his friend to gape at Joe. "He got mugged?" 

Joe's eyes widened. "Didn't you see the tape outside? The police were here an hour ago." Jack was still staring at Joe as if the bartender had just told him that Elvis was here having a drink before. Joe sighed, nodding towards Daniel. "He was about done a little past midnight and he was out the door before I saw him." Joe frowned. "If I had saw him leave, I would have stopped him. I know he drove and with all those beers-" 

"Go on." Jack interrupted impatiently. 

"Well, he wandered back in a few minutes later all dazed...I mean, he was before but not like this. Anyway, he came in and asked for a phone. When I asked what was wrong, he said two guys jumped him outside his car and took his wallet." 

Jack's jaw clenched as he thought of his friend, surrounded by two men, being harassed. Even though the colonel knew that he himself couldn't have done anything about it, he wished he were there at least. To think Daniel was by himself here when those two- 

"The police came," Joe was still saying, unaware of the fist Jack was making as he listened to Joe describe the scene. "And they tried asking your friend about the crime, but he looked at them funny and asked them what year it was. It took them a while to get a description out of your friend there. Absolutely refused to go with them to get himself checked out at the hospital." 

_Ah hell_ , Danny. Jack sighed, looking at Daniel's shadow back there. 

"Probably had too much to drink." 

_Or thinking he was back in that place, being told we were all dead._

"He just sat there in that booth. I offered him some coffee but he just asked for another beer." 

"And you gave it to him?" Jack said, shocked. 

Joe shrugged. "It was either that or he was going to wander out to another bar." The bartender frowned as he looked over to where Daniel was. "I was thinking maybe I'll drive him home, but when I asked him his address, he asked me the same question. I-" Joe shook his head. 

"What?" 

"I don't know. He looked a little...afraid." Joe shrugged again. "Probably freaked out about the mugging." 

"Probably." Jack muttered, pretending to agree with Joe. "I better go get him." Jack eyed the figure across the room, wondering how was Daniel going to react. Taking a deep breath, Jack walked across the bar, into the dark corner where Daniel was. He stopped by the table, just short from waking Daniel. 

The young man was oblivious to Jack's presence. He had his head in his arms, hunched over very small against the booth. Jack could hear Daniel breathing slow and calm, as if asleep. Every so often, the young man would shift a bit, mumbling something before drifting away against. Jack grimaced as he counted the empty bottles on the table. 

_Five? Damn, Daniel. Whatever happened to that cheap date?_

Jack tentatively reached out and touched Daniel's shoulder. He didn't expect the reaction from it. 

Daniel jerked at contact, actually cringing away before his head came up. The young man slammed into the wall and Jack winced. He whipped his head up and Jack saw a gash at the temples before a hand came up to cradle the head. 

"Daniel?" Jack leaned closer to Daniel. 

"Ja'k?" Daniel mumbled, squinting his eyes. Jack's jaw clenched when he saw the cracked eyeglass lens, a result from the mugging, as was the gash on Daniel's head. 

Grinning crookedly as if he was suppose to meet Daniel here, Jack nodded. "Started without me, Jackson?" 

"Y'u're re'lly Ja'k?" Daniel's voice slurred. The anthropologist frowned as if he was wondering why he was losing control over his vocabulary. Daniel tried again. "Is th...that you, Ja'k?" His voice was a bit clearer now, although Jack could still see the dazed expression on Daniel's face. 

"Who else would it be?" Jack quipped, reaching out to help Daniel up. 

Daniel shrank from the extended hand and Jack quickly withdrew it. The colonel felt a lump in his throat, threatening to choke him. 

Daniel was afraid. 

"Ja'k?" Daniel repeated, blinking furiously to focus. 

"Yeah." Jack said woodenly, feeling like he was being stared at again. 

"Is everything okay?" Joe inquired, stepping into the shadows with the two. 

"Hi...J'e." 

Joe smiled fondly at Daniel. "Hey, Danny." Even Jack had to smile at that. The young man brought out Joe's protective instincts obviously. "How about some coffee?" 

"Be'r?" 

"What he say?" Joe asked Jack, puzzled. 

"He said beer and no, Daniel, you've had enough." Jack turned back to the young man and told him firmly. 

"No be'r?" 

"No." Jack crossed his arms, glaring at Daniel, the incident temporarily forgotten. "You've had enough. Actually you should have had enough **three** beers ago." 

"It w'sn't w'rkin', Ja'k." Daniel's voice lowered sadly and blue eyes looked downward to his lap. 

"What?" Joe's brow furrowed as he tried to interrupt what Daniel said. 

"What's not working, Daniel?" Jack asked, not bothering to translate to Joe this time. 

Daniel looked up at Jack, confused. "Wh't ye'r is it, Ja'k?" 

Jack smiled sadly, remembering his own shock when he had first woken up and had the enemy lied to him that it was 2076. "It's 1999, Daniel." 

"R-really?" 

"Yes, Daniel. Really." Jack moved the bottles away from Daniel. "I wouldn't lie to you." 

"T-then..." Daniel swallowed, his eyes watered as he looked at Jack hopefully. "Ev'ry'ne...al've?" 

"What he said?" Joe furrowed his brow, trying to pick up the words. 

Jack ignored Joe, staring right at Daniel. "Yeah...Everyone, Daniel." 

"P-prom'se?" 

Jack sighed and sat down next to Daniel. "Promise." He looked at his friend, smiling tiredly. "How about we get you home, huh?" 

Daniel stared at Jack for the longest time, unblinking. 

"Will you stop doing that, dammit?" Jack snapped, regretting his words when he saw Daniel's face shuttered and the young man looked away. The shoulders slumped and Daniel pressed his head against the wall, staring blankly at the seat opposite of him. 

"Damn it, Daniel. I didn't mean to..." Jack rubbed his eyes wearily. He looked up at Joe, who was staying a discrete distance away. "You think we could get a pot of your great coffee to go, Joe?" 

Taking the hint, Joe clasped a large hand on Jack's shoulder. "Sure. It'll take a few minutes though." 

"Take your time." Jack said wearily, leaning back on the cushioned back of the bench. "We're not going nowhere." 

The two men sat there, each lost in their own thoughts. Jack could sense Daniel drifting away in an alcohol induced lethargy and he winced for his friend. Never much a drinker, Daniel was in for a hangover tomorrow. That much Jack knew. It was the only thing Jack was certain. 

Everything else seemed to have gone to hell since they stepped through that Stargate over three weeks ago. 

Jack could see a wall building up in front of him, between him and Daniel. A wall that he himself had almost three years ago, that eroded away so quickly that Jack was wondering when Daniel had come in. Now he could see the plaster and brick, piling up in his line of sight, until all the light, the comfortable air was slowly being sucked dry. 

And it started when he had escaped Hathor. 

_The forest was calm against, empty of sounds of staff weapons and fighting. Jack, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c stood there, slightly away from their comrades as they waited for Makepeace to punch up the symbols for home._

"So..." Sam said in a slightly breathless voice. "It's really over?" 

Jack grinned. "I should say so." He winced as he felt an ache in the back of his neck, a morbid reminder of his close call. 

"Are you well. O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired. 

Jack shrugged. "Got a headache, but I feel good." He lifted an eyebrow towards Teal'c. "Nice outfit." 

Sam laughed. "He's not the only one with a makeover." She pointed to Daniel with a teasing grin. "Nice hair, Daniel. Very short." 

Daniel nervously fingered the short locks. "They must have cut them for some reason. I hope they grow back." 

"I hope so, too." Sam chuckled as she watched her friend flush slightly. She sobered though as she caught Daniel favoring one leg to stand on. "How's your leg?" 

Jack perked up. "What?" He zeroed in on the bloody gash on Daniel's right leg. "Shit, that doesn't look like fun. What the hell happened?" 

"They were shooting at us." Daniel hedged. He turned around at the Stargate's chimes and saw it sparkle to life. 

"There's our bus." Jack quipped. 

"Bus?" Teal'c echoed. 

"Never mind!" Sam and Jack said together. Sam laughed, heading over to Makepeace who was organizing a few members of their team and Jaffa to search the tunnels for survivors. Teal'c followed after the Captain, leaving Jack alone with Daniel on the fields. 

"Nice hair." Jack grinned broadly, relishing the moment of being able to stand there with his friends. He reached over and ruffled the hair. "But I hope it grows back, too, Danny." 

Daniel jumped slightly at contact, but tried to hide it by pretending to limp more pronouncing, leaning away from Jack. 

But Jack noticed. 

The relaxed smile of a mission finally over, faded from the colonel's lips as he watched the hunched figure of his friend shuffle away. 

"Here you go!" Joe dropped a container in front of Jack, startling the colonel out of his thoughts. 

Jack turned to look at Daniel again. The young man's eyes were half closed already. 

"I have his keys here." Joe said quietly. "Lifted them off of him when he wasn't looking. Need some help getting him to your car?" 

"Yeah." Jack said. He didn't relish trying to drag Daniel back home. He didn't want to see his friend shy away from him as if he was Apophis himself. He shuffled over closer to Daniel, tentatively poking Daniel on the shoulder. The young man blinked, turned dull eyes back to Jack. 

"Ja'k?" Daniel mumbled, his head lolling a bit as he fought to stay awake. "Wh't? Wh're we goin'?" 

The older man winced. Daniel was **not** a pretty drinker. The young man's nose was swollen and red, his eyes like slits, and the pasty pallor on his face gave Jack the feeling that if he didn't get Daniel walking soon, the man was going to drop into a dead faint by his feet. 

"We're going home, Daniel." Jack kept voice low and steady, pronouncing each word slowly. He reached out and grabbed Daniel by the forearm, ignoring the stiffening that contact elicited. "Come on. Get up." 

Daniel shook his head. "No...can...can't." 

Dumbfounded, Jack paused halfway from pulling Daniel out of the booth. "Why not?" 

"Bec'use..." Daniel's eyes suddenly glisten with tears. "S-she's n't there...any m're...Ja'k." Daniel sniffed loudly. "Out th're...c'n't find her, Ja'k." 

Joe leaned forward to whisper to Jack. "Woman problems?" The owner asked knowingly. 

"Uh...yeah." Jack hesitated. He tugged at Daniel's arm; the man slumped like a sack of potatoes. "Come on, Daniel. I'm taking you home." Jack cursed at the dead weight. "Damn it, Jackson. I could use a little help here!" 

That seemed to have caught Daniel's attention. He tried to straighten up, swaying as he half stumbled out of the booth with Jack's help. Knees refusing to lock, Daniel made a strained sound as he came crashing down to the ground. 

Joe and Jack each grabbed an arm and hauled Daniel up, who sagged in between the two men. 

"You have got to lose some weight here, buddy." Jack muttered, grunting as he tried to swing Daniel's arm over his shoulder. Daniel moaned, but didn't respond otherwise to Jack's remark. 

"Shit, he's bleeding. I didn't know the muggers got him there, too." Joe fretted. 

Jack checked to see what Joe was looking at and saw blood staining Daniel's right knee. He cursed softly, remembering the gash he saw back then. 

"No...that wasn't from the mugging." Jack said shortly, signaling that the subject was closed. He straightened up and with Joe's assist, half dragged Daniel out the bar. 

Daniel stirred again as Jack fumbled to get the seatbelt on him. Eyes wide, Daniel panicked and fought with the unknown assailant. Jack grunted when an elbow scraped by his cheek. Joe tried grabbing for Daniel's hands, but the young man proved to be surprisingly spry for a man in his condition. 

"Daniel, calm down, it's me!" Jack barked. To his surprise, Daniel did, blinking wearily towards the direction of the voice. _Probably doesn't remember I had a worm inside me a few days before,_ Jack thought sadly as he leaned over and clicked the seatbelt buckle closed. 

"Here." Joe said quietly, handing over the coffee in a paper bag. "I suspect this will be the only thing you two will be drinking right now." 

Jack accepted the bag gratefully. "Thanks, Joe. I mean it. Thanks for the call." 

Joe hesitated; not immediately stepping away from Jack's jeep so the man could drive away. 

"What?" 

"Look...I know it's probably none of my business, but-" Joe paused as if wondering he was stepping out of line here. 

Jack nodded, telling the bar owner that it was okay. 

"You two obviously look close. I've been in this business long enough to tell." Joe's voice held a bit of pride as he spoke. "You two are close enough to be family. I think it's a shame if you two let something like that crumble. It would be a damn shame." 

"What makes you think..." Jack's voice trailed off when Daniel stirred. The young man frowned in his sleep, obviously upset about something. Jack leaned over, tugged Daniel's jacket closed so the young man wouldn't catch a chill. Jack turned back to find Joe smiling amused. "What makes you think this has something to do with us?" Jack waved towards the bar. 

"I asked him if he wanted me to call you...after the mugging." Joe spoke softly as if not to wake Daniel. "He..." Joe stopped again. 

"Go on." 

"He said that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with him anyway." Joe shrugged. 

_The other way around actually_ , Jack thought sadly. He could still feel Daniel staring at the back of his neck as if the young man actually there, awake. 

"Well..." Joe looked apologetic. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you two will work it out." He backed away from the jeep. 

_Doubt it. How do you rebuild trust when you yourself didn't even know it existed until it was too late?_

"Thanks again, Joe." Jack smiled as he put his vehicle into gear. "Next round's on me, okay?" 

"As long as it's water, Jack." Joe joked, thumb pointing to Daniel. 

Jack nodded wearily and drove away. 

* * *

Jack ignored the doorman's stare as he struggled to get Daniel on his feet. The young man moaned slightly and feebly tried to push the hands away, but Jack slapped them away easily enough. 

"Come on, Daniel. Give me a break here." Jack muttered as he stood up, Daniel's arm slung around his shoulder and Jack's arm gripping the thin waist tightly. 

Daniel mumbled something before the head lolled forward. 

Jack muttered under his breath and half walked half-carried Daniel through the door. He glared at the doorman, who finally reacted enough to get the front door open. Jack grumbled as he hobbled over to the elevators, which thankfully opened immediately after he pressed the up button. As the doors slowly closed, Jack caught out of the corner of his eye, the doorman still gawking at the sight of the usually quiet Doctor Jackson. 

"Big party...uh...at the library!" Jack called out, pretending to shrug as if this was an everyday thing. "Big celebration for the...um...professors...about a mummy's birthday!" Jack breathed a sigh of relief when the doors hushed closed and started to carry them up to Daniel's floor. 

* * *

Jack nearly dropped Daniel out of his shock. He gaped at the apartment before him, then sideways at the man he was still supporting up. 

The apartment was usually in a clutter, due to piles of notes, books, or dusty artifacts Daniel may have been studying at the moment. But this- 

Jack could see the bedroom door partially open and the piles of discarded clothes, shoes, and other stuff lying on top of it. From the looks of the couch, Jack could see Daniel had been sleeping on that instead, but why Jack didn't know. Bookshelves stacked with books that didn't look like they were going to stay on them for long. There were piles of mail, scattered on top the coffee table, spilling onto the floor. Stray cups lay on the couch, the table, even on the steps, dotting the apartment like with you-are-here marks on a map. 

As Jack dragged Daniel over to the couch, Jack kicked aside a lone sneaker, shoved back the piles of books on top of it, and dumped Daniel on top of the couch with a groan. The young man didn't waken when he landed. Daniel just stayed right where he was, content to only mumble something before shifting slightly to get more comfortable. 

Jack winced, rubbing his sore shoulder as he watched Daniel who, despite the uncomfortable position his legs were twisted into, slept away in his stupor. 

Yes sir. Daniel was not a good drunk. 

"Coffee." Jack muttered- lifting up the bag he had clutched in his left hand through all this. He eyed the kitchen, which opened up into the living room. He could go there and still keep an eye on the young man. Jack lifted Daniel's legs up, straightening them out onto the entire length of the couch, yanking his shoes off with a heavy sigh, before shuffling over to the kitchen. 

Jack pulled the container of coffee out and felt the surface. It was still warm so Jack decided to just pour a cup for himself first before trying to wake Daniel up. He searched around for a cup when he saw the mess. There were a few plates of food, forks still stuck on the dull sticky surfaces, that appeared to have only been played around with rather than consumed, and lying on top of the counter. Jack glanced back over to Daniel with a frown. From the looks of things, the young scientist hadn't been eating. He shoved them aside and decided the dishes could wait. He glanced at the sink and grimaced at the sight of mugs piled in there, some with suds, some with coffee stains. Obviously Daniel had started washing them, but stopped. 

"What the hell is going on here?" Jack muttered as he washed two cups clean and poured the coffee into them. He grabbed his cup and wrapped his fingers around it. Jack paused. 

The colonel could see the steam wafting out of the mug, but the cup was barely warm itself. Jack took an experimental sip and made a face. 

It was lukewarm. No. 

It was cold. Freezing. Like ice, or like- 

Jack suddenly found himself shivering again. "Not now." He muttered to himself angrily. "Don't go loony tunes right now. Now is not the time." He stalked over to the microwave, placed the mugs inside, and punched the buttons as if they were the cause for all this. 

A thud in the living room got Jack running over. Daniel was on the floor, half-clinging to the armrest, eyes totally bewildered, his glasses crooked on his face. Daniel didn't see Jack standing behind him as he ran a hand through his hair and winced when the fingers found the gash. He tried standing up and it looked like he was going to succeed when Daniel groaned softly. Jack reached over and caught Daniel before he could crash to the floor again. 

At touch, Daniel jerked. 

"Easy. It's me." 

"Ja'k?" Daniel sounded confused. "Wh't are you do'ng here?" 

"Joe called, asked me to pick you up." Jack helped Daniel back on the couch. The young man looked away as he tried to regain some sort of composure. 

"Oh." Daniel blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "T-thanks." He leaned back into the couch, taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. 

"Got some coffee heating up right now." Jack offered. 

"N-no thanks..." Daniel murmured, his eyes closed. 

"What were you doing in Joe's bar?" Jack blurted out, unable to hold back from asking any more. 

"Can...can't a guy get a d-drink?" Daniel responded, still with his eyes shut. 

"Not if the name's Daniel Jackson." Jack quipped. "You don't look like the drinker type, Danny." 

"Then wh't type am I, Ja'k?" Daniel abruptly snapped. He sat up, his eyes blazing. "I d-don't look like the type? Wh't type is that, Ja'k?" 

"Whoa, whoa! Where did that come from?" Jack demanded. Daniel shook his head, dropping it into his hands. 

"S'rry...look...t-thanks for the r'de home, but you don't haft to stay, Ja'k. I'm ok'y." 

The microwave chimed the heating was done and Daniel yelped. Jack snorted. 

"Sure. You're looking real dandy right now." Jack retorted. "Sit there. Don't get up." He went back to the kitchen and got the coffee. When he got back from the kitchen, Daniel was trying to stand up again. 

"What are you doing?" Jack barked as he set down the mugs on the coffee table. He pushed Daniel back down. "Sit! You're not exactly on sea legs right now!" 

"I'm not a d'g, Ja'k!" Daniel shouted back, wincing as the loud volume of his own voice rang in his head. 

"Well, you're not exactly sober either, right now!" Jack snapped, shoving the steaming mug into Daniel's shaky hands. "Drink! All of it!" Jack felt himself getting angry- over Daniel's stubbornness, over the mugging, over the fact that Daniel was staring at him afraid, over a certain woman with glowing eyes, and over the fact that even now, Jack felt cold. 

Daniel glared at Jack with red shot eyes but drank deeply into the coffee anyway. One gulp and Daniel slammed the cup back down again. The hot liquid spilled over, scalding Daniel's hand. The young man jerked his right hand back, his left clutching it protectively. 

"Shit, real smart, Jackson." The older man tried to grab Daniel's hand to check. "Let me see." 

"No...I'm fine, Ja'k-" 

"Dammit, it's red. Come on, where are your bandages?" 

"I **said** I was f'ne, Ja'k." 

"That doesn't look fine. Now hold still-" 

"I SAID I WAS FINE!" Daniel screamed suddenly, pulling away from Jack with a hard yank. Jack sat there stunned; his hand still extended out in mid-motion. Daniel sat there breathing heavily when suddenly he paled. Before Jack could do anything, the young man stumbled out of the couch, hand over mouth, and he half crawled half hobbled to the bathroom. 

The sounds of retching shook Jack out of his shock and the older man went in after Daniel. He found Daniel shivering, huddled miserably over the toilet, emptying the contents of his stomach. Jack felt his anger melt away at the sight. He grabbed a towel, ran cold water in the sink and let the towel soak up the water. Shivering at the icy temperature, Jack squeezed out the excess water and kneeled down besides Daniel. The young man moaned softly, still bend over on the floor. He twitched when he felt the cold towel Jack placed on his forehead. Daniel's mouth opened automatically when Jack placed a paper cup of water to his lips and obediently rinsed out his mouth at Jack's command. 

"Better?" Jack asked. Daniel didn't respond. Eyes closed, the young man instinctively leaned closer to the hand that held the towel but seconds later, Daniel stiffened before moving away again. Jack saw this and felt his chest tighten at the sight. 

"It's not work'ng, Ja'k." Daniel despaired as he opened his eyes. "It's not work'ng...the be'r..." 

"What's not working?" Jack asked softly, handing Daniel another towel, this time, gratefully accepted. 

"I'm..." Daniel coughed, making a face at the sour taste in his mouth. "I'm still...afr'id, Ja'k." 

Jack tensed as he saw blue eyes peering at him anxiously. Damn. "Daniel, I wish I could help you, but this thing that happened...I can't erase it and..." 

"It was like a...nightm're, Ja'k." Daniel said softly as if he didn't hear him. "Waking up to have some'ne...some'ne...tell you that every'ne's dead, Ja'k." Daniel sniffed. "Th'n...to find out it was a l-lie...by **her**." Daniel sagged against the bathroom wall. He stared at his feet in front of him. 

Jack wanted to say something, but what could he say? He couldn't make the mission go away. Jack couldn't remove the scar behind his neck any more than he could have stopped Hathor from choosing her host for that damn larva. Jack could still see the thing snapping furiously with its slimy mouth and Jack had to clench his fist to stop himself from grabbing something to throw. 

"And then...she chose a h-host..." Daniel's voice broke. "You..." 

Jack looked away, unwilling to see that fear in his friend's eyes once more. Inside, he seethed, wishing if he could do it all over again, he had snapped Hathor's neck instead, rather than just toss her down that liquid. 

"And I c-couldn't do...anything...nothing..." Daniel trailed off. 

What? Jack whirled around to stare at Daniel. "What are you talking about?" 

"I-I couldn't do any...thing!" Daniel shouted back, anger coloring his voice, whether for himself or at Jack, it didn't look like Daniel even knew himself. His slur was gone as anger made his words stumble over each other. "I-I...j-just stood there...like an idiot! I couldn't...m-make myself move...or do anything...I just stood there...watching her...watching h-her...I w-was so...scared...Argh!" Daniel abruptly thumped his fist down onto the tiles, frustrated. 

"Hey!" Jack surged forward, grabbing Daniel's wrist. He winced when he saw the angry welts on Daniel's knuckles. Daniel stared blankly at his hand in Jack's. 

"Ow." 

Jack shook his head, glaring at Daniel. "Feel better now?" 

"N-no." Daniel wrenched his hand away from Jack and staggered to his feet. He swayed slightly and stumbled into Jack. "S-sorry." 

Sighing, Jack guided Daniel back to the couch. Pushing him down, Jack jabbed a finger down at Daniel motioning him to stay put and he silently stalked back to the bathroom. Jack peered at the cabinets around him and turned over his shoulder. "Where are your bandages?" 

Daniel sounded dazed when he responded. "Huh?" 

"Bandages, Jackson. You know? The stuff you end up using in every single mission?" Jack snorted as he found them. "Never mind." 

"O-okay." Daniel called back faintly. 

Trudging back to the living room, Jack shook his head when Daniel tried to stand. "Don't even bother. You're still loopy." 

Daniel glared at Jack but said nothing. He watched disinterestedly as Jack pour iodine liberally on a gauze pad. He did jump, however, when Jack tried to apply it on the gash on his head. "Ow!" 

"Hold still!" Jack barked. He noted with surprise that Daniel did, slumped over with his eyes downcast as Jack applied the bandage on. Jack leaned back and surveyed his handiwork with pursed lips. "Nothing like Doc's but its gonna have to do for now. Let's see that leg, Daniel." 

Daniel didn't move an inch, even as Jack's hands hovered over the tear on the knee. 

"Daniel?" 

"It was happening...all over again...Ja'k..." Daniel's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "They were...taking someone else and I c-couldn't...stop them...I should h-have stopped her, Ja'k. Why didn't I...why...didn't I stop h-her?" Daniel blinked and realized that tears were trickling down his face. He flushed, turned his head away, pulling his knees in and it looked like he was trying to hide himself into a ball here. 

"Daniel." Jack reached over and shook Daniel by the shoulder. The young man just huddled tighter within himself. "Look at me." Jack shook him harder. "Damn it, Daniel. How can you expect me to talk to you if you won't look at me?" 

_That's because he's afraid of you, moron_ , Jack's mind told him coldly. _Don't you remember how he cringed each time you touched him? Do you really think he wants to talk to you any more?_

"Are you...m-mad at me, Ja'k?" Daniel asked softly, not looking up. 

"Mad?" Jack stared at Daniel stunned. "Why the hell would I be mad at you?" 

"I...d-didn't do anything...to h-help you..." Daniel sighed. "I was too...scared to help you." 

"No, Daniel." Jack replied sadly. "I'm not mad at you. And that wasn't fear, Daniel." 

"Y-yes it was." Daniel insisted. "I couldn't get myself to...m-move...to do anything." 

"I think you were in a bit of shock." Jack guessed. When Daniel didn't answer back, he went on. "I think you just had a hard time accepting everything that was going on- waking up to the future, then finding out it wasn't, then to see me..." Jack swallowed. "Get a new roommate." 

Daniel laughed strangely. "T-that's one way of putting it, Ja'k." 

"Yeah." Jack sighed, rocking back on his heels. "But you have to remember, Daniel. It's over." 

"Is it?" Daniel looked up with red puffy eyes. 

"It is...I swear to you...it is." Jack swallowed, suppressing a shiver. _At least it will be for you, I'll make sure of it._

"You c-came up that hill..." Daniel stuttered as his face paled with the memory. "And t-then you said..." 

"Jaafa kree." Jack nodded, remembering. He winced. "They kept saying it all the time I figured it would have convinced them I was on their side...until the cavalry arrived." He shrugged. "Didn't really worked. The serpent heads didn't look convinced." 

"It...convinced...m-me for a second." Daniel said softly. "You just walked up to t-them and said that and I thought...I thought...it was over." Daniel looked away, into the distance behind Jack's shoulder. "I thought they m-might as well shoot me right then and there." 

Jack cursed. "Shit, Danny. I didn't think you would have thought...no...I guess there was no way for you to know..." 

"It was so close." The young man continued as if he didn't hear. "Just a fluke...a s-stupid chance...that a To'kra was t-there to help you...that Sam came b-back to help you." Daniel gave a strangled sound as he dropped his head back to his knees. "And we h-had to leave you t-there...not knowing t-that she was h-helping you...we l-left you there!" 

"I left you behind once. Remember? Back on Apophis' ship?" 

"You had n-no choice then. I was dying." 

"But you got better. I should have taken you with me." Jack's eyes darken with the memory. 

"You didn't know." Daniel protested, looking up again. "How could have you know? You couldn't take the chance to come back for me!" 

"So why should it be any different with me then?" Jack asked quietly. 

"I..." Daniel was speechless. 

Jack grinned suddenly. "Gotcha." He shook his head. "There are no exceptions to the rule, Jackson. No guilt from either side...especially when we had to do what we had to do." 

"L-like when you chose to b-become a host?" Daniel accused. 

Jack winced. Actually, it wasn't much a choice. "Either me or you, Daniel and I would rather think it be me than have you guys go through that." Jack frowned. "Carter's been through enough with that already. And you-" 

"Should have v-volunteered." Daniel interrupted. 

"No way in hell." Jack said harshly. "You hear me? Over my dead body!" He blanched when he saw Daniel paled further, going practically transparent. "Shit, I didn't mean it that way! I meant-" 

"I know...I just wish...I wasn't so afraid...t-then..." Daniel sighed. 

"Shock." Jack corrected him. 

"It was dumb...stupid fear, Ja'k. I was like an id-" 

"Stop saying that!" Jack snapped. He wasn't going to sit there and watch his friend stab words into his own heart. "That's the biggest load of crap I had ever heard!" 

Daniel didn't say anything as he sat there, silently berating himself for all his mistakes. Jack could see the self-loathing in the young man's eyes. 

"What would you have done?" Jack demanded, unable to stop himself. "Huh? You tell me! You could have stepped forward! Sure! Become Hathor's slave for the rest of her goddamn life, losing all chance to save your wife or Skaara. Or maybe you could have grabbed for the guard's zat guns. Yeah! You could have done that and get a freaking hole in your chest for it!" Jack was standing up, over Daniel now, the possibilities of disaster tumbling out of his mouth before Jack even had time to realize what he was saying to the man. "Or maybe...you could have turned back, rejected Makepeace's rescue and try to return here to get me. I might have glowing eyes and shit, but hey! What are friends for? It wouldn't have mattered if I might have shot **you** in the chest when you weren't looking! Or maybe the guards when they find you! Or maybe get Makepeace's team slaughtered for that one act! Is that what you would have done? Is it? Tell me! Why aren't you answering me?" 

Daniel lay there curled up, shaking his head inside the cradle of his arms. "I don't know! I don't know!" His shoulders began to shake as he started to cry. 

Jack stood there, shocked at what he had done. Jack felt like the monster that he thought he had avoided becoming back there. Instead of the glowing eyes, Jack fought with burning words instead and Daniel, unprepared, lay there scalded by them. Daniel wasn't the one he was mad at. 

"I s-should have..." Daniel hiccuped as he tried to speak. "I..." 

"Shit, Daniel." Jack sat down next to Daniel, desperately trying to get his friend to look up. "I didn't mean to...hell...that was really stupid of me." 

"I'm sorry, Ja'k." Daniel stammered. "I should have..." 

"No." Jack broke in quietly. "You shouldn't have. And it's over. It's really over, Daniel." 

Daniel didn't answer. He didn't look up as he huddled by a corner of the couch. Jack helplessly watched his friend stay that way until the shoulders relaxed into an exhausted sleep. When Daniel's head shifted slightly and the arms dropped from resting on his knees, Jack eased his friend down flat on the couch. Jack cringed at the sight of red eyes, swollen nose, coupled with the white cheeks and stark white bandage on his forehead. 

"What a mess, Danny." Jack muttered. He went over to the bedroom, yanked out the blanket under the messy pile on top of it. Jack draped it over Daniel, tucking it firmly around Daniel's body. Jack wondered briefly if he should wrap the knee, but a quick check at the torn pants, he noted that the bleeding stopped. Jack grabbed his coffee cup, neglected the whole night, and took a cautious sniff. He grimaced. The coffee had gone cold. Jack shuffled over to the kitchen and stuck the cup back in the microwave for a few seconds. 

The alarm went off and before it could finish, Jack yanked the door open and grabbed the cup. He hissed as the heat burned his palm. 

"Stupid, O'Neill." Jack groused as he gulped down the warm liquid and waited for the heat to stop his minute shivering. He stared through the kitchen opening, over to the couch where Daniel was. The man had turned to his side, head half buried under the covers, looking very vulnerable, very alone- 

And very scared. 

Jack angrily finished the rest of the coffee in a single gulp. That was the one thing he couldn't do anything about. Guilt, self-doubt, and fear Jack could always find the words to counter for Daniel. The young man always seemed to calm with them, even if Jack couldn't understand it himself. But how could he rebuild trust? 

_Especially when I don't even know how I earned it in the first place._

Too tired to think about it any further, Jack walked over to the couch. Spying a space next to Daniel's feet, Jack thought he might as well stay here and hold vigil for the demons that always loved to come to his friend at night. He sat down carefully, zipping up his jacket, crossed his arms and waited for morning to come. 

* * *

When Jack woke up, he realized he was buried. Buried under...something. Alarmed, Jack stuck out his arms and was relieved to find out that he was buried only under a huge mound of blankets. 

_What the?_

Jack fidgeted, sticking his head out and found himself still on the couch but Daniel facing the other way now, his feet sticking out the other direction. Jack looked down at the light colored hair on Daniel's head, wondering what the heck happened and when did he fall asleep. Jack rubbed his eyes and grimaced as he felt the cottony fuzz of his mouth. Jack carefully eased off the couch, gathered up the blankets (how did he get them on him anyway? Sleepwalking?), and dumped them on top of Daniel's bed first. Eyeing his watch, Jack moaned when he realized that it was nine. He hadn't planned on sleeping the night away. Grumbling to himself about needing an internal alarm clock, Jack waddled to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and then back to the living room. 

Still asleep. 

Jack checked on his friend, lightly touching the forehead with the back of his hand. When he felt that there was no fever, Jack nodded approvingly. He eyed the kitchen, remembering the discarded dishes and frowned. He went over to the kitchen and checked the fridge. 

"Doesn't this guy ever heard of groceries?" Jack muttered, eyeing the wilted celery, a half-eaten apple, dozen candy bars that were for some reason in the freezer, and a tube of cookie dough. Jack growled at the prospects. 

"Great, I could make applesauce cookies and have a chocolate bar with my salad!" Jack grumbled as he checked out the side door of the fridge. To his relief, Jack saw some eggs. "Okay. That's a little better." With something to do now, Jack began to grab a few eggs to make something feasible for breakfast. 

A few minutes later, Jack sniffed at his end result. "Not half bad. Probably taste better than the rations." Jack muttered. He divided them up evenly on the plates he had washed before. Jack grabbed the container of coffee from last night, stuck the entire thing in the microwave, and punched the numbers for it to heat. As he stood there with his arms crossed, watching the lights glow inside the microwave, Jack wondered if he should be leaving the apartment before Daniel wakes up. 

"Jack?" 

Too late. 

Jack turned his head and grinned at the sight of Daniel standing in the middle of the living room, knuckles rubbing tiredly on one eye, hair askew, clothes all rumpled, with only one sock on. Sometime during the night, Daniel apparently lost the other one. 

"Morning." Jack lifted a plate up for Daniel to see. "Breakfast." 

"Not hungry." Daniel mumbled. He made a face, smacking his lips as he did. "Ugh...feels like I swallowed half of the sand in Abydos." 

"You should have stayed a cheap date, Danny." Jack joked, a bit relieved to see Daniel at least joking, even though the young man still avoided Jack's eyes. "You were a sight to see yesterday." 

"About last night-" 

Jack waved Daniel over. "Forget about it. Get over here. Eat." 

"I'm not-" 

"Eat." Jack's voice brooked no argument. "I've seen your kitchen. It looks like you hadn't touched any food for days. You get over here now and finish up every scrap of this before I shovel it down your throat myself." Jack's eyes softened. "Come on, kid. You need to eat. You look like shit." 

"That's a nice thing to say to a guy in the morning." Daniel grumbled, but he reluctantly shuffled over and sat down on a stool in front of the countertop anyway. "What is it?" Daniel asked dubiously, poking the yellow mess with his finger. 

"Scrambled eggs and will you stop doing that?" Jack thrust out a fork in front of Daniel. "We're not in some P123 or something planet and going native here. This is planet Earth, Jackson. Use...a...fork." The older man crossed his arms, leaned against the refrigerator and glared at Daniel in front of him. "Eat." 

Silently, without any more protest, Daniel obediently began to eat. Jack, unused to seeing the anthropologist comply so readily, watched him for a moment, before turning around to the microwave to get the coffee. When he turned around again, Jack caught Daniel guiltily turning his eyes away, embarrassed for being caught staring again. 

"What?" Jack didn't feel annoyed any more about Daniel doing that. Just...sad. 

"Um...Jack?" Daniel cast his eyes down on the plate, poking the eggs with his fork with little enthusiasm. 

"What?" 

"Are...I mean...are you mad at me?" Daniel whispered, not daring to look up. 

"What?" Jack's eyes widen in confusion. "What did you say?" 

"For being..." Daniel swallowed. 

"Scared?" 

Daniel mutely nodded. 

"Hell, Daniel...no." 

Daniel looked up and blinked. "What?" 

Jack smiled wanly and sat down across from Daniel. "Is this what this is all about?" Jack waved towards the entire house. "The mess, the not eating, the drinking like a fish-" 

"Drinking like a fish?" Daniel echoed with a raised eyebrow. 

"You know what I mean, Daniel." 

Daniel dropped his head down again. "I just couldn't face you...I mean...I couldn't forgive myself on how I reacted...I couldn't see how you would have-" 

"Forgive you too?" Jack finished for his friend. 

Daniel just silently nodded. 

"Daniel, there's nothing to forgive." Jack sighed. "Let me ask you this then. Are you afraid of me?" 

"What?" Daniel shot up his head appalled. "What? Of you? Why on Earth for?" 

Jack grinned, feeling a weight slid off his shoulders. That was the confirmation he needed. "You know...that worm in me and..." Jack shrugged, feeling a bit foolish now for his doubts. "And you were staring at me constantly like some rock-" 

"Artifact." Daniel jumped in automatically. He flushed. "Oops. Sorry. Habit." 

"S'all right." Jack grinned a bit wider now. 

"I...was wondering if you were-" 

"Mad." 

"Y-yeah." Daniel stared at Jack's neck, seeing the bandage edge peeking out behind the nape of Jack's neck. Daniel lowered his voice, his eyes sorrowfully looked away. "Was it...how was it?" 

Jack frowned, remembering the pain, the scream that tore out of him before he could stop himself. He remembered the shrieking of another voice, pushing the edge of his conscious, determined to take over- 

"Jack?" Daniel leaned forward anxiously. 

Shaking his head, Jack sighed. "It was...bad." The man could still feel the thing slithering behind his neck, slimy scales touching his skin before the piercing pain that rocked him to the very core. 

In a hesitant voice, Daniel asked. "Did...did you remember us?" 

"Yes." For this, Jack was sure. He didn't even have to think about it. "Every second, Daniel." He smiled when he saw Daniel's shoulders relaxed with that statement. 

"Jack?" 

The colonel was startled to see Daniel's eyes turn apprehensive. "What?" 

"She's...um...she's really dead? You said-" 

"She is, Daniel. Very. She's not coming back to bother us any more." Or you, Jack added mentally. 

"Sorry." Daniel mumbled. "Didn't mean to-" 

"It's okay." Jack shrugged. 

"Forget about it. The main thing is that it's over and we're all back." Jack said sharply. "We're all back as a team. Right?" 

Daniel smiled tentatively. "Right." 

Jack got up, went around and clasped Daniel at the shoulder. "Good. Now finish that. I'm going to grab a shower in your bathroom first. I want this one finished, too." Jack pushed his plate towards Daniel. "Both of them and the coffee." 

"B-but-" 

Jack shook the shoulder slightly. "No arguments. Then after this, we're heading back to the complex and have Doc take another look at that leg of yours. I said no arguments, Daniel." Jack said firmly when he saw Daniel open his mouth to protest. "Besides, when I left, Carter had a story to tell me, she said. I aim to hear it." Jack grinned crookedly. "I'll be back." He pointed to the plates again and turned around to head for the bathroom. 

"Jack?" 

Jack stopped at the nervous tone. "What?" 

"You're...okay?" 

Jack turned around puzzled. Daniel fidgeted. "What?" 

"You...I woke up a bit last night and you were...mumbling that you were cold." Daniel played with his fork as he continued. "I got you a blanket, but you kept saying that you were cold and you wouldn't stop shivering so I kept piling them on and on." Daniel shrugged. "I...wanted to be sure." 

Jack smiled to himself. It would explain the strange pile on top of him when he woke up this morning. "I'm okay, Daniel. Thanks." 

"Not...cold?" 

Jack looked down at himself and found to his surprise, that the slight shivers were gone, even from his hands. Jack's smile grew wider. 

"No, Danny. Not cold, at all." With that, Jack hurried over to the showers, wanting to return to base and find out just what was so funny that Carter wanted to tell him.   


#####  **The End**

  


* * *

>   
>  © July 7, 1999 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp.  
> The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters  
> who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names,   
> titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television,   
> Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd.   
> Partnership.  
> This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and   
> solely meant for entertainment.   
> All other characters, the story idea and the story itself   
> are the sole property of the author.   
> 

* * *

  


##### As soon as I saw the "Into the Fire" episode, I just had to write a missing scene for this. I hope I did it justice. =) 

* * *

  
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